The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-06-05

and after being kept for q. year In soli-
brS sns se e been so eeI
mitted 70 wear her own dross and her, own un.
derclothng: but, at krasnoyarsk tho local
dress OF a common convict. She refused to do
so upon the ground that administrative exllos
that Il convict dress had been obligatory. she
sGS S MSs eSsn local + on SG
witch Persisted In refusal. The Chief Of Police
and the officer Of the cor convoy, were finally di.
followed a horrible scene Of violence and un-
nyailing seli-deiencG In, spite Of her cries,
npnsas and strIpElcs she was finally over
or eight men, and forclbly reclothed in the
coarse convict dress. Suppose that ali this
this bleeding. deieneeess. haIf.naked girl had
RRppe nit to you for protection and had thrown
sss G gsRS5 nr%s agSSsG Raf hsS
fused 70 interfere by an net Of ,vlolence?"
tlnqlly, ignoring my, direct question as TO
case, Count Tolstoi said: Even under such
circumstances violence would not be iustifl-
able. Let us annlyzo that situation carefully.
| will grant, for tho sake Of argument, that the
local Governor who ordered the act Of violence
was an gnorant man cruel man brutal man man
that ho was doing his duty You suddenly APP
pear and set yourself up as, a Judge In the case;
he is committing an act of unjustillable vio-
lencc-and then. with strange inconsistency,
evii BY yourself committing another act Of un-
justilabe violence. Ono wrong added to an
other wrong does not mako right: II merely
G erin IN order 10 to eecVe must
be directed against the soldiers who are com
free. agents; they arc subject to military. dis
sipline and are acting under orders Dc, which they
s9 orsrs yo * wo %
OF tho soldiers-that Isl kill or wound the only
parties to the transaction who are certainly In
~ nrn ~ anil
nst s0 sfa MnSa eB p se s@
OF Tie soldiers; you may or may, not thus sue
S n which s6 yG saray pe Viii d. p ans ssa et
misery. Every one Of tho soldiers whom YOU
am If yo b brns se %d ap2@ Sw i
would not have come to it but for your act. In
6S sS ths o and Pso SS
tho sesd of further ySseSe na
was only one centre OF evil and suffering. BY
your violent interference you have created half
Of peace and good viii on earth"
show Sosto
ing the narrative Of a hunger strike" in the
rEGHsk whSh had P5G%ssS thf
Moud give to him. was detailed history
of the voluntary self starvation OF four Doitical
fpkontsk rhs hunger strks Which TOOK
place in December 1884. lasted sixteen days.
n a h9qE all % he as
protest against what they regarded as intoler-
able cruelty. Tho Narrative, was written by
and anil need only say here that it Is detailed
account Of, perhaps tho most desperate hun
Count Tolsto read three or four pages Of the
manuscript with gradually cloudtng face. and
'sf have no doubt he said. that the cour-
but their methods aree irrrationaL, and l can;
themselves liable. to Violence in return,
snT 1hsy OF r as Nine
is the true revolutionary method. II the
people Of the empire refuse a., as believe the|y,
should refuse, to render military service-if
they decline to pay taxes to support that instru-
ment Of violence. an army.the Present Tns sys.
way to resist evil is to absolutely refuse to do
evil either for ones self or for others"
revolutionary .I method ell Which seemed to me ut
terly impracticabe and visionary. the Gov
eminent forces its people to render military
Then lot them go to prison." he rejoined.
nos R Pss it
be without material toE an army and without
"But" objected. you cannot get the whole
people to act simultaneously in this way, Il
You were lot alone you could perhaps convert vert
views; but do YOU think that you would BE- lot
alone? AS soon as your teaching began to be
BIO suppressed. How are you. ever going to get
your propaganda under way?"
that if you eai m and exercise the right to. re-
sist by an act Of VIOLENCE what you regard as
evil every other man will insist upon his right
evil, and the world will continue to be filled
with yioleppcei It is your duty to show that
y ~ but" 1 objected. you cannot show any
thing Il somebody smites 10Y or{ On, on the mouth
time you as to peRraR Striking
back" replied tho Count, you can show BY
your peaceabIe behavior that YOU are not gov;
man Who nsither, resists nor tries to defend
by those who have inflicted suffering. that the
world has been advanced"
l said it seemed to me that the advancement
the protests OF its inhabitants against wrong
and outrage, and that all history goes to show
nr
Tho whole history of the world" replied
the Count. is history OF violence, and you
lerce: but do you not SEQ that there is. In hui
man. society an endless variety of opinions as
Ra M's you the right Of any
to resort to violence to resist what he regards
as wrong. he being tho Judge you authorize lie
Same way and have reign of yiolence%
After some further conversation Count Toll
stoi proposed that we should take o walk. A
short distance from the house We met Miss
Tolstoi, the Counts eldest daughter, dressed
as 9 peasant girl, on her way, home from the the
village girls of Yasnnya, Polyana. Count Toll
stoi himself had spent the morning In spread;
ing manure over tho land Of a poor widow. and
would have devoted the afternoon TO tho same
occupation butfo my visit.
II believe" he said. that 1t Ia every mans
duty to labor for others who need assistance.
and to work at least Il part OF evory day with
his hands. 1t Is better to actually labor for
and with the poor In their particular employ
mont than it is to work in your own higher
and possibly more remuherative intellectual
field, and then give the poor the results OF your
labor. In the one case you not only help tho
people who need help bnt you set the poor and
you work exclusively in your own higher in.
tellectual field and give the poor tho results of
your labor. as you would give aims to beg
gar, you encourage idleness and dependence;
you establish a social class distinction be-
tween yourself and the recipient OF your aims:
you break down his sci respect and self-re-